Laid-up Bryant coaches via telephone

Published Apr. 14, 2013 5:29 p.m. ET

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LOS ANGELES — The last time he was injured this season, Kobe Bryant sat on the Lakers bench and drew plays on a clipboard for his teammates.

This time, Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni insisted he doesn’t need any help.

A few hours before the Lakers played the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center in their first game since Bryant suffered a ruptured Achilles' tendon, the Lakers guard posted this tweet on his timeline:

Asked before the game what he would do if Bryant called the locker room,
D’Antoni smiled and said, “I will turn my phone off.” After the
laughter died down, he added, “No, we’re good.”

At halftime, with the Lakers and Spurs tied at 43, Bryant called Pau Gasol to tell him to keep up the aggression.

"It's great," Gasol told reporters following the Lakers' 91-86 win over the Spurs. "His involvement is important."

Following the win, Bryant took to Twitter again:

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